THE FIGHTING ELEMENTS
by whitewingedstallion
Summary: An anime tale: Lai, a saviour leads the life full of, loss, revenge, and love. She uses the elements of the world to overcome darkness and let good prevail...a fantasy full of despair and triumph...made this story up completely on my own...hope you like..
1. Chapter 1

**FIGHTING THE ELEMENTS**

CHAPTER ONE: THE VILLAGE

A soft wind blew from the east hitting a small village in China just off Kohl River. Where a girl and her horse were pleasantly relaxing doing nothing in particular. The young girl was lying down on the greenest grass imaginable, with her smooth black hair blowing intensely around. The sky was a periwinkle blue and the puffy white clouds seemed motionless.

She sighed as saying to her horse, "Wouldn't it be great to be in a different world, Noel? I mean far away from here, into a sort of different dimension. I'd give anything for an adventure, wouldn't you?" As the horse just stared at her with its saddened blue eyes and white glossy back and mane, she rolled over and occupied herself by looking at a nearby butterfly.

"It's just so unfair" she sat there pouting, "I wish I could be free like so many of the animals in the world. But then, I wouldn't want to leave my parents because they mean the world to me". Her horse whinnied.

"Yes, you mean the world to me as well. Of course I'd take you with me on any adventure", she said smiling.

The girl's name was Lai Li. Her name meant 'the original of the people', or 'the dawn'. She had extremely dark black hair tied back in a huge braid that went down to her thighs, while other pieces she just let fall out around her face. Her complexion was very soft and white as could be and her eyes were a forget-me-not blue. At eighteen years of age, Lai had never found love and wasn't looking for any at this point. But her parents were forcing her to consider a man in the village who also happened to be five years older than her. Considering the man was completely out of the question for Lai, as she thought him to be the most selfish and stuck up human on earth.

The wind was blowing quite hard now, as the dark blue clouds began to overthrow the glowing sun. "We must be getting storm". Lai said standing up and looking down on her village. Everything looked in its place, except it looked as though people were getting ready to attack the village. 'People or what are those things?' Lai thought. Then she heard the screams and knew something was wrong. She practically flew up on Noel, and raced down from the field to the homes of her people. Everything was lit on fire; people were running around trying to escape the wraths of those monsters. 'Are those goblins?' Lai thought to herself again. She had guessed that's what they were based on the fact that if she had to guess what they were, that would have been it. They had stubby, short legs, yellow hair and green skin. Their teeth looked as if they hadn't been cleaned in their entire lifetime, and they smelt really, really bad. They looked all slimy, like they take their baths in a swamp. They looked like really horrible walkers and runners, as they kind of wobbled when they walked. But they could climb like anything. Lai was just trying to go over this in her mind. Never had her village been under attack, and never have they had to fight. She stared around again, just noticing that people were dying. A young couple had just been stabbed and their child was standing in the middle of the street screaming. The goblins were going for him. Lai finally knocked out of her trance-like-state, thought fast and ran towards the boy. She picked him up and then turning around, snatched a club and knocked the first goblin right in the face. He fell immediately to the ground. The others just stared at him for a moment then slowly looked up at Lai, and charged at her meaning to kill. Lai, still holding on to the club and the child, ran for it. She was indeed a faster runner than them, but there were so many of them climbing everywhere that she didn't know where to go next. She placed the boy in between a few boxes behind a fruit stand, turned around and was faced with one of the menacing creatures. She punched him in the face once, then hit lower and finally kicked him in the stomach, where it flew right back against a rock solid building and collapsed. The others, she tripped, hit them with the club a few times, and started throwing boxes and such on them. Lai turned around to find the boy, but the goblins had taken him. As she made a go for him, they grabbed her from behind, but she was quicker. She dug her feet into the ground, crouched as low as she could, jumped, and flipped right over top of them, where she kneed them in the butt. While they were on the ground, she took her club and set it on fire on some nearby stands lit them on fire one by one. They began to run around furiously, and squealing at the top of their lungs.

Out of breath, she looked around once more for the boy, but could not see him. The other goblins were looking around petrified and fled. Just then remembering her parents, Lai set off at a run. She came to her house, but it had been set on fire as well. Her parents were no where to be seen, and suddenly, everything was quiet except for the crackling of the fires around her. She was alone, completely and totally alone….


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO: LAI'S FREEDOM

But she hadn't taken it into account yet that her parents were dead. She searched around the house, but found nothing. Then she went up to the fountain in the main part of the village and there lying breathlessly on the ground was her father.

She ran up to him, whispering "Father….father?" His eyes were closed and he was not breathing. His black hair all wet, his clothing ripped somewhat. She took his pulse, and still nothing. No hope……no life……..no father. She tried one last time by blowing into his mouth trying to make him breath, and that's when she found the wound. A great gash across his neck told Lai it was over. She had only then realized there was blood all around her and all over her. Still she wasn't crying. Perhaps it was still a shock, as she stood up looking at her dad's lifeless body, or maybe she just didn't want to believe it. Maybe thinking to herself, 'No, I won't believe it, I refuse to believe it'.

She didn't have to look far for her mother, as when Lai went to clean the blood off her in the fountain, there she lay. She had been drowned. Her body floating on top of the red water, her eyes wide open. Lai reached in and pulled her out trying not to bang her head, as she thought it still possible that she could be alive. But as she pulled her out and laid her on the ground, Lai saw that her neck too, had been sliced open. Just then she felt it. The cold, saddening emotion of loss. The loss of her parents. Seeing them lying dead in the middle of the street only confirmed this feeling.

She began to break down in tears, as she fell to the ground covering her face and rocking back and fourth. It lasted for about fifteen minutes of her just crying thinking about 'why this happened?', or 'If I'd had been here', or 'What am I to do without them?' Then finally she got up, her knees shaking, hands trembling, face all wet and eyes all red. She sat on the water fountain thinking for a while, sniffling every so often. Her horse, Noel came slowly up beside her and nudged her trying to send some kind of comfort.

"I g-guess…" Lai started stuttering. "I'll b-bury them i-in the cem-eter-y."

Lai got up and hugged Noel for a while still wiping her tears. Noel's fur felt so soft and comfortable. That and the fact that all of that crying had made Lai immensely tired, as she rubbed her eyes. She hooked a harness to Noel with some rope. Lai put her mother on a piece of wood resembling what she figured must have been a door and tied it to the rope Noel had on her. She then got on Noel and started pulling her mother towards the cemetery on the plank of wood. She did this for her father as well and finally when they were all buried and crosses sank in the dirt above where their heads would be in the ground, Lai placed white and pink orchid flowers over top of each of her parents. She said a prayer and wished them happiness, and that they not worry about her. She then wondered where she would be cleaning off.

"There's a nearby well just down the path Noel, near the forest. I think I'll go clean off". And she left with Noel to bathe. As soon as the ice cold and refreshing water hit her head, she felt regretfully better. As she cleaned herself off, she stood there wondering what she was going to do next and finally found herself in the very position.

She was clean, yes, but very tired. The sun was going down, as the dark blue clouds turned into night, and the orange and pink sunset faded into black, she found herself alone and scared. Lai was not one to be frightened in most situations. But looking around and seeing nothing, was something that scared her the most. No forms of life, no one to talk to, no one….but wait, she did have Noel. And suddenly, she felt very grateful to have one friend left. As she lay down on the soft grass with Noel, it felt like her whole body was saying thanks. As her head lay on the ground, the warm breeze made her even sleepier. Her eyes were saying, 'just go to sleep, just go to sleep'. She cuddled up against Noel for even more comfort and realized she had gotten her freedom.…


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE: A NEW START

She woke in the morning to a very hot sunny day. The sun was scorching so badly, Lai felt like she already had a burn. She then realized that Noel wasn't with her. She got up in a panic, looking for her, and finally did. She was grazing on the greenest patch of fresh grass just along the bank.

Lai walked up to her and said, "I think it's time to leave". As the horse looked up at her then towards the forest, she started to walk towards it. Lai walked along side of her. They walked fairly far into the wilderness, through branches, and branches, across a bridge and through a huge tree trunk. They continued going down under until, Noel could fit no more.

Lai continued on and she came to a medium-sized chest, with the initials of Lai's name L.L engraved in it. She took out a key from her little pouch at her side and carefully unlocked the chest. Inside she took out some very nice reins for Noel, all the change that was left inside and a dirty wrapped up piece of cloth with something in it. She pocketed the money, roped the reins over her shoulder and started undraping the object held in the dirty cloth. She took out a very polished, very impressive silver and gold sword. It had red jewels and diamonds galore all over the handle. It had a very long, very sharp end. It had Lai's name engraved in it as well.

"I promise I'll make you proud of me dad…somehow".

She took out a belt and wrapped it around her waist, then put the sword in it at her side. She also, took out a few other little things, like a flask, matches and a dagger. She left the tree trunk until she found Noel. There, she strapped the reins on her and they walked together back out of the forest. It was a little milder out in the sunshine, but still rather warm. She went up to the well one last time and filled the flask, while she let Noel have lots of water out of the bucket from the well. Then she got on top of Noel and they started walking towards the sun.

"I don't know where we're going Noel, but we'll find or make a new home, don't worry." She was starting a new life, a new journey. Suddenly, she felt a sense of anger, a sense of vengefulness. Her parent's were dead for one reason and one reason only. Those monsters had murdered her parents. She wanted revenge. She then vowed that if she ever met one of those foul creatures again, or saw those torturing families like they did to hers, she would indeed kill them. Lai vowed that she would devote herself to those people.

"It's a good thing father taught me how to defend myself, hey Noel?" The horse neighed quietly as she kept walking. She traveled for two days in various locations where there was lots of food and water for both her and Noel. They camped out near trees and such, so as not to be seen. Lai had a good idea that they were being followed, or watched. Every so often Lai would stop and walk her Noel, so she wouldn't get too tired from the weight of holding her. On the third night, Lai and Noel were sitting by the fire made by Lai, resting and thinking about where exactly they would like to live.

"We could live near the mountains, although it may get too cold. What about near the ocean? It would be so beautiful to see the sun set over water." She laid back lying on the dark green grass and looking up at the stars. A rustling could be heard from just ahead in the bushy trees. Then Lai heard the sound of twigs breaking. She sat straight up, staring as best she could in the dark. She crouched down on her feet and took out her dagger. She was about to go see what it was, when a bunny hopped out of the forest where the sound was coming from. It stopped to look at them a moment then ran away as fast as his little legs would take him. "Damn rabbit". Lai said smiling, looking relieved.

The sun was coming up and it was a beautiful sight to behold. The light wavy clouds creeping over the gigantic ball of fire, and the sky, a yellow and orange, with just a tint of red. "Well, I guess it's time to go". She grabbed her things including her flask, and the dagger. She went into Noel's side saddle bag and took out a huge bottle. She went down the hill near a pond, and came back up to put the fire out. When she had done so, she mounted Noel once again and started walking. They had been walking for almost half an hour, and Lai was now off of Noel.

Everywhere they went they saw huge green pine trees and even bigger maple ones, swampy marshes and in the back, tall grey mountains could be seen, covered in white mist. She stopped her horse. She could hear something behind them as ways up hill...


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR: A NEW FRIEND

She slowly turned around and saw them. But this time it wasn't goblins. "Oh great, what are those?" Lai said, once again scared for her and Noel's safety. They were up on the green hill top, staring straight down at her. There had to be at least fifteen of them. They weren't as small as goblins. On the contrary, they were much more frightening.

They had huge muscles, and were completely black with black hair as well. They were winged, and very tall. They had blood red eyes and claws as long as nails. They walked on all fours, but as they saw Lai mounting her horse they stood up on two legs and let out a horrible sort of howling noise.

Lai cut off as fast as she could. Noel running as fast as possible and hearing her breathing intensely hard, Lai ran straight into the forest. Even though branches and limbs were cutting her body and probably Noel's, she didn't stop running. They ran for fifteen minutes trying as hard as they could to avoid them, until they came out of the opposite side of the forest. They looked around and saw nothing but open land. No place to hide, no place to run to. They were in the very middle of an open meadow, and the creatures flew straight down and landed circling them, so they had no where to run.

Lai exposed her sword, and spun it around fiercely, as if threatening, daring them to take a hit at her or Noel. She swung her sword and missed the first one. Noel was jumping and kicking her hooves everywhere. They started lunging and trying to bite her. That's when Lai threw her sword once more and sliced two of the creatures' heads right off. The others started screaming and growling. They all looked very menacing and angered now.

She gripped her sword tightly and thrust her sword straight into one of their chests. It hit the ground and burst into flames. One of the monsters raised its hands and scratched her arm causing her to fall off Noel. Still holding on to her weapon, she got up and started swinging it back and forth, back and forth. She cut a few of them and they turned into fire and disappeared as well. There were about nine left and she was becoming very annoyed.

One of the black beasts raised his claws ready to strike her, when a charming man held up with magnificent royal blue wings came down with what looked like, a magic staff. He thrust his body to block Lai and Noel from view.

All Lai saw was his soft blue wings up against her face and an extremely bright light shining over top of them. She closed her eyes and hugged Noel. She heard them screaming and sounding like they were fleeing, or fading away.

"Lai?" She opened her eyes slowly to find the man to actually be very handsome young man, looking around Lai's age. He had dark brown wavy hair that fell in his face, and emerald green eyes. He wore a kind of draping around him like a coat, but without arms. He was quite the built and very tall. Seeing as Lai was only 5'2, anyone seemed tall to her.

"How do you know my name?" Lai asked.

"Are you ok?" the boy asked looking her over. "Yes, I'm fine. But how do you know my name?" she repeated. He grabbed her arm, seeing the scratch she had received from one of those monsters.

"It's nothing. It's just a scratch" Lai said, pulling her arm back.

"Really I'm fine, but how do you--" "I know your name because I was sent from the gods to find you" he said still looking at her as if she was dying. "Now please come with me. We need to heal that, so you don't--" There was a pause.

"So I don't what?" Lai asked. "Just come on please" the young man repeated. He flung his staff towards Lai's horse causing Noel to sprout beautiful white feathery wings out of her strong back. They grew larger and larger. They were at least twice the size of her before they stopped growing. Lai stood there amazed. "How did you--"Lai started, "Never mind that right now. I will explain everything once we are some place safe. Please" as he gestured to Noel, for Lai to mount her.

Lai got on Noel slowly, and squeezed her legs. Noel jumped straight up and took flight. They were flying. Flying higher and higher. Until finally Lai was so high she could no longer see the ground, not even patches of green. They were high into the puffy pearl clouds and it felt so magnificent. It felt as if she was in heaven. Either that, or dreaming. She thought to herself, 'this can't be real'.

The young man was flying right beside them, leading the way. Every so often they would pop in and out of the clouds, and Noel would swoop up and down, and twirl right over. They flew for quite some time until the man gestured to Lai to swoop down for landing. She felt such exhilaration, as her heart and body were left behind, from diving straight down. Finally, Noel landed on a soft patch of green, very gracefully and stopped. Lai waited for the man to land too.

"Can I know your name?" she asked politely. "Oh, sorry. I could have at least told you that. My name is Wu Wang…I'm a sorcerer." Lai nodded "Really?" Wu looked up at her smiling "Yes" Lai was quite impressed. Wu took out a side bag and began to rummage through it. "So what were those things back there? And what's going on? I mean a lot of strange things have been happening. First my parents, then they try to kill me." Lai stopped; Thinking about her parents was painful.

"Ok, ok. Just let me explain everything." He said sitting down on the grass. She looked up at him and noticed his wings were now gone, and so were Noel's. She consented and sat down across from him. He took out some bandages and a type of ointment.

"Ok. Firstly, I am deeply sorry about your parents. I'm sure they meant the world to you." Lai stared at him then looked down and said, "Yes, they did". There was a long pause. As Wu went to put on the ointment he said, "This may sting a little" He applied it and Lai screamed. "I told you it would sting a little. "A little?...that felt like I was being stabbed or something. "Sorry, but it has to heal. Then Lai asked Wu "What's happening to me?"

"The first thing you must understand is you have a journey no one else can fulfill." "What kind of journey?" Lai asked curiously. Wu began bandaging the cut. "It is not a pleasant one, I'll tell you right now." He looked up in the sky as if thinking about how to word it. "Are you aware that you have a unique ability? Fighting that is?" He finished tying the bandage to her arm and started putting his things back inside the bag.

Lai nodded her head, and then said, "But that's only because father taught me so well". "No Lai. It's been inside you all this time. With your father's help or not, you would have been a great fighter." Wu told her modestly. He stared at her for a moment. 'He did have such wonderful eyes' thought Lai.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE: THE ELEMENTS

'Oh my god, I'm falling for a complete stranger. Oh, what would father think of me now'. She quickly looked away, pretending not to be staring at him anymore.

He smiled then said, "You know, you really are a very peculiar girl" Lai just stared down at her feet. "Well, even if I am a good fighter, so what? What does that have to do with my journey?" Lai asked getting annoyed. "It has plenty to do with you. There are many great elements in this world. They can be used for good and evil. They can be befriend you, or not. My point is, is that you're the one who will lead them in the battle against the darkness…against the others. You are the human. The one and only human who can overcome them." Wu said this all very fast.

Lai was trying to take in everything Wu had just said. 'This made no sense…why would Lai…Lai…be the one to lead all of humanity to greatness. To defeat a power of darkness she had never heard of, or thought of. "What do you mean, the elements?" Lai asked.

"The elements of our world" Wu said looking at the look on Lai's face told him she no more understood than before. "There are many, but you will only need to collect the few most powerful. The ones most controlling. Fire, Water, Earth, Nature, Day, Night, Wind, Life and Death." He stood up and started walking back and forth. "You, being the leader of humanity, must collect the elements, but it won't be easy. They are all Goddesses. They have their own will, their own rights and their own powers. Life and Day should be no brainers. They have always been on the good side. They will accept no problem. Death will obviously go to the dark side because, well…its evil right?" Wu was speaking very fast, not giving Lai much of a chance to understand most of what he was saying.

"Wait, wait!...WAIT!" Lai yelled hopefully getting Wu to stop talking. "Hold on one minute. So…basically what your saying…is that I must round up these elements, convince them to come to our side…" she paused looking at Wu hopelessly "And then what?" "And then we fight the dark side, of course". "But why?" "Sorry, I keep forgetting how much you don't know yet. They have been going around destroying people's home, much like they did yours. And killing innocent people, mostly humans, but they'll destroy anything good. They've destroyed forests where elves, witches and fairies lived. But that's only part of the reason we're trying to stop them. Their leader's name is Hui Hwong and he is a sorcerer much like myself." Wu stopped for a minute and took a few breaths.

Lai jumped in "But why does Hui want to purge the world in darkness?" "Power I guess. He had a very rough childhood and his mother died when he was quite young. He was too young in fact, to live on his own, so he was put into an orphanage." Lai asked suspiciously "But what about his father?" "His father tried many times to convince him to come and live with him. He was a very wealthy man indeed, so you think anyone would take a leap at a chance like that, but he hated his father. He believed the reason he had to go and live with his mother was because his father didn't love him. After many years of not talking and not seeing your father, I guess it would turn you against him in a way." Wu looked up at Lai with a sort of depressed look on his face. "So basically" Wu continued "He is already a very powerful and very smart young man but--" "--He's a young man?" Lai blurted out. "Why yes, he's around the same age as us, but maybe a few years younger." Lai stood up and started petting Noel.

"Anyway, Hui is going to take all the darkness in the world and purge it…on the world. I have a strange suspicion that he will want revenge of some sort on his father." "Wow…I mean, I don't think…I don't think I can do this…its just so much at once to take in…I mean, what if I can't…what if I can't do it?...What if I fail and the world and everything in it…disappears." She started to worry.

This was an extremely big adventure. More than she had ever asked for. And like Wu said, not pleasant at all. "Well, if you do fail. At least you can say you tried, you stood up for something that would make others of your nature proud of. At least you have a clear conscience". "But who's going to hear all of the "great" things I do when no one in the world will be left?" Lai asked desperately. "I will." Wu told her.Lai thought a minute.

These things these creatures had killed her parents and she vowed that she would help, save and protect those in trouble when these things caused mayhem. Then Wu said something that only assured Lai of beginning her journey "After all, Hui Hwong is the one that sent those creatures to find you and try to convert you to the dark side." "What?...They're the reason my village was attacked?...oh my god…they're the reason my parents are dead?" Wu looked at her sadly, and slowly nodded. Lai's vision became blurry. Lai could feel tears rolling down her face, she quickly wiped them. "Ok, I'll do it".


End file.
